The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-22
NO INSANITY AMONG HORSES.
SO Says Gentleman Who Has Made
study of the Animals-How
They should be Treated.

of horses and their characteristics for
years and who Is the cwner of num-
Der of fine animals was shown by
New York Mail and Express reporter an
item that has been going the rounds OF
the press about horse becoming in.
sane.
81 do not believe there is any such
thing rs insanity among horses" he
said. "a horse may become wild and
manageable from pain, such as tooth.
ache, or because of cruel and brutal
treatment or fright, but it is only
temporary affection. But / will moi
deny that many horses are natural
fools / have, in fact, seen many such
on which there was no dependence, and
characteristic of which is the taking
up of mouthful of hay and tossing Il
about making frequently no Roadway
in eating. Such horses show no affec-
ton. and stranger can drive them as
readily as one who has handled them
for years, which is not the case with an
intelligent horse. One thing that
makes horse nervous are these fancy
curb bits. which hurt horse consider
uDlI, anu ubtliuuic u SiOop tN'h VI
this so-called viciousness to these con-
trivances. No, sir, / do not even be-
leve in natural yiciousness in horse.
To ill-treatment this is all due. Take
q highs strung, nervous horse, and il
does not require much ill-treatment
to make him vicious. l have seen
horses and owned them which were
perfectly gentle in harness and in the
Stable. but the moment they would see
me take up stick or whip would ut
once seem to change their dispositions,
and try to jump upon me and otherwise
do me harm. Ont west this summer |
came across q black horse which had kill
cd three men and which worked six
mates to death. He was worked twelve
years day and night on a stage coach.
He would trample both men and his
mates to death tho moment they came
too near him. But he was ill-treated,
brutally treated, all the time. Why,
every time they put a harness on him
they would keep him goaded with
pitchfork so that he trembled with fear
all the time 1t was quite n sight to see
him harnessed. After the harness was
snapped about him heavy rope was
tied about his neck and then he would
be dubbed over the head and backed
out of the stall. Then the rope would
be thrown over beam and the men
would take the bride and club him with
it on the head so as to stun him before
they could get it on. He was large,
powerful animal, and fine looking. Yet
to-day that horse is as gentle as kit
ten. Why so? Because he passed into
other hands from which he received
kind treatment, that is all he needed.
al have light sorrel horse named
Rowdy. which / have owned two years.
He was very high-strung and noto-
rious runaway when / got him. The
man who sold him to me confessed that
no impression could be made on the
horses mouth. | began with gentle
treatment and letting him know | was
his master. and drove him with a
straight bit. At the start he kicked
straight out of the traces. Now he is
subdued and gentle. and the moment l
speak to him he obeys and will come
everywhere 10 me at the sound of my
voice. He has trait that causes much
amusement We allow him to run in
pasture with mate. Rowdy was al
WAYS a great fence-iumper. but his
mate was not on the start. When to-
gether Rowdy would leap fence, and
then seeing his mate decline to follow.
would at first coax by jumping over it
several times back and forth. and ut
last seeing this would not succeed,
would begin biting the other one and
pushing 1t with his nose until he CONF
oclled il to jump.
"While west / noticed that frequent
ly horses are guided the same as oxen.
without rcins, and that it is very easy
to teach them to obey in this way. 1t
is like everything else about horse
let him have confidence in his master
and he will do anything. saw an in
stance of balky horse out there. 1t
was in Michigan. and he was attached
to a light buggy. The horse was very
large and would weigh LOO TO 1880
poIuds. They were on level. and af-
ter going about eighty rods the horse
stopped short and would not bulge.
He was beaten, knocked and whipped.
but without avail. Then yoke of cat
tie was brought up and fastened to
chain which was put about the horses
neck. That horse was dragged half
mile by the cattle and then was as stub
born as ut first. He was finally left
alone. and after standing seven hours
started up all right of his own accord.
The trouble is that when horse gets
balky people lose their tempers, this
only makes matters worse. The only
sure remedy for balky horse Is to
blindfold him by banding his eyes 1